


Summertime Blues

by firequakes



Category: MBLAQ
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Growing Up Together, M/M, Partly Kid!Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-21
Updated: 2012-01-21
Packaged: 2019-07-06 09:42:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15883491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firequakes/pseuds/firequakes
Summary: A string of summers in the life of one Lee Changsun.





	Summertime Blues

**Author's Note:**

> originally written for yakiseop in participation of mblaq_ss '11, originally [here](http://mblaq-ss.livejournal.com/3682.html). korea probably does not do summer camps this way, get ready to suspend your disbelief regarding that, lmao. the prompt was a summer camp au or something with a generally light feel. i tried to do my best? haha.

-  
  
  


  
(1)

Changsun is 8 years old when he first gets sent to summer camp. It's his first time to be away from home for so long, from his parents and his sister, and he's a little scared.

It takes him thirty minutes to let go of his mother’s hand when they drop him off, and when they leave, he spends an entire hour sitting on his bunk bed and staring at his open luggage, trying not to cry.

Things eventually get better throughout the summer; Changsun is easy-going for the most part—he falls into an easy friendship with his cabin mates, and they spend 5 whole weeks running around, rolling on the grass, swimming in the river, and generally just being children.

Still, when the summer’s up, and his parents pick him up, Changsun doesn't look back.

 

 

 

(2)

When Changsun is 9, he returns to camp. He isn’t particularly excited, but at least he isn’t as averse to the idea as he was just a year before.

“I’m a big boy now,” he declares, puffing his chest out, and plastering the biggest smile he can muster on his face.

And yet he starts feeling lonely as soon as his father ruffles his unruly hair as a good-bye.

 

 

There is one boy already in his cabin when Changsun checks in, lugging his things behind him. The other boy has already claimed the lower bunk furthest from the door, and Changsun takes a very deep breath before he opens his mouth to ask,

“Can I have the top?” He blinks and attempts his friendliest smile.

The boy glances at him, and Changsun almost takes a tiny step back. He has dark circles under his eyes, uncharacteristic for a 9 or 10 year old, and Changsun briefly wonders if he’s actually, maybe, the cabin’s junior counselor. The boy narrows his eyes, and Changsun watches as his facial features clench and unclench. Changsun almost completely backs up and throws his duffel on the other bed, but then the other boy shrugs and nods.

“Sure,” he says, before going back to his gaming console.

A grin spreads on Changsun’s face as he climbs to his bunk.

“I’m Changsun, by the way,” he introduces himself playfully, all of his anxiety suddenly, miraculously gone.

The other boy looks up at him, and Changsun can almost swear that the right corner of his mouth turns up. “Seungho.”

 

 

Despite the fact that Seungho is probably the most intimidating boy that Changsun has ever met, he ends up sticking to him like glue.

“He’s kind of scary,” says Yonghwa, a boy he had bunked with the summer before.

“He’s not, he’s actually very nice!” Changsun is always ready to defend Seungho even though if he actually pauses to think about it, he will probably realise that Seungho hasn’t actually given him any reason to.

But Changsun is a young boy, and he likes what he likes, and he likes defending Seungho and he likes sticking by Seungho, so this is what he does.

 

 

“Hyung,” Changsun whispers in the middle of one night, three weeks into the summer.

Seungho is only a few shy months older than Changsun. A week into camp they had realised that they were actually in the same year at school, but Changsun likes the way Seungho had seemed to have automatically taken him under his wing from the moment he had first used the honorific on him, so he never stops.  _I was born the year after you when it comes down to it,_  Changsun insists.

“Hyung,” he repeats, peering down. All lights are out, and their other cabin mates are asleep, their light snores mixing in with the sounds of cicadas chirping and tree leaves rustling outside.

Seungho’s face is illuminated by light coming from his gaming console; Changsun can faintly hear the beeps signifying that either Seungho has just gained bonus points, or the monster at the end of the tunnel has died and he has now leveled-up.

Seungho’s only audible response is a grunt, but Changsun takes that as his cue to ramble on anyway.

“I can’t sleep,” he whines softly.

Seungho doesn’t say anything, but a minute later he shuffles to the side, making a small space enough for Changsun to crawl into.

Changsun’s smile is practically ear to ear as he climbs down from his bed, and he gets under the covers with Seungho.

He practically nuzzles against Seungho, trying to watch the screen as Seungho’s space pilot blasts space aliens.

“See, I was right when I told everyone you’re really actually very nice,” he murmurs right before he falls asleep, the sounds from Seungho’s game translating as a light lullaby in his head.

 

 

 

(3,4,5)

The summers that Changsun is 10, 11, 12 are summers that he spends worming his way into Seungho's heart.

He likes thinking that he was perfectly successful.

 

 

 

(6)

When Changsun is 13, his entire family jets off to the United States to visit his grandmother during the summer. It’s the first time in five years that he’s actually spending his vacation with his family, and the first time in the last four that he’s not going to see Seungho.

He feels really sad, and he almost throws a temper tantrum when he finds out, but he doesn’t, because he doesn’t like it when he disappoints people.

 

 

 

(6.5)

_Dear Seungho-hyung,_

_How’s camp? I just went to Disneyland! It was great! I also grew an inch since last summer, too bad you couldn’t see._

_Don’t forget me!_

_Lee Changsun_

_P.S. You still remember that name don’t you? Don’t you?! :D_

 

 

 

(7)

Changsun undergoes a growth spurt when he transitions from 13 to 14. His height shoots up, and for some reason girls start surrounding him every time he shows even just the hint of a smile.

This phenomenon follows him to summer camp, but he’s just glad when he sees Seungho. He puffs his chest out, ready to spout off all the world knowledge he’d gleaned when he traveled to the other side of the planet, but then he notices a bag strap hanging off the side of the bed above Seungho’s.

“Is someone—?” He motions towards it.

Before Seungho can answer, the door opens and someone enters. Changsun has no idea who this boy is, but he’s sporting an awkward looking moustache and goatee.

“Who are you?” Changsun very bluntly blurts out.

“Oh that’s Byunghee,” Seungho introduces. “He was new last year.”

“Hey.” Byunghee grins at him as he climbs up what Changsun secretly thinks should be  _his_  bed. “You’re Changsun, right? Seungho’s told me about you.”

Changsun nods numbly as he places his things on the bed across Seungho’s instead. As he unpacks his things, he belatedly realises that Seungho has told this new boy all about him, and a pleased smile escapes his lips.

 

 

Changsun wakes up one night as hears Byunghee trying to shake Seungho into wakefulness. His sheets rustle as he sits up.

“What are you doing?” He hisses at Byunghee in the dark.

“We’re sneaking off over to the girls’ side,” Byunghee explains, his voice hushed but full of bluster.

“Won’t we get in trouble?” Changsun frowns.

Byunghee snorts. “Look around you, the counselors are already gone,” he says, continuing to shake Seungho awake. “Want to come with?”

Changsun doesn’t really—he doesn’t care much for mingling with any of the girls, and he doesn’t really want to have to deal with them making googly eyes at him, because there’s only so many times he can ask them if they have something in their eyes.

But when Byunghee drags along a practically sleep-walking Seungho with him, Changsun tags along anyway.

He feels a strange kind of relief wash over him when Seungho fails to place any enthusiasm in flirting with any of the female campers.

He feels even prouder when he’s the only one who manages to make Seungho smile the entire night, never mind that he does it with a string of embarrassingly lame jokes.

 

 

 

(8)

Seungho becomes a junior camp counselor when Changsun is 15. So does Byunghee, and they get assigned to different cabins. Changsun feels an imaginary butterfly do a little victory dance in the pit of his stomach when he finds out about this.

It all ends up moot though, since he doesn’t get to be in Seungho’s cabin either.

 

 

“Hyung, I missed you this summer!” Changsun comments right before it’s time to get on the bus that will take them all home. His mouth is curved into a downwards pout, the one he knows from experience will usually get him whatever he wants. “We barely hung out!”

Seungho just laughs, and gives him a light, playful punch on his arm, Changsun's pout not really working any of it's magic. “Don’t be silly.”

Changsun frowns. Seungho is smiling, and looking at him almost fondly, but all he really just wants to hear are the words, “I missed you too.”

 

 

 

(9)

Changsun, 16 now, becomes the junior counselor to Seungho’s cabin leader. It excites him, and thinks maybe it will go back to like those earlier summers, when they spent all of their time together, when even though Seungho never really said anything, Changsun felt like they were best friends anyway.

Instead, they get a 14 year old named Chulyong in their cabin. He’s loud, and brash, and to a certain extent, he secretly annoys Changsun.

Changsun tells himself that he feels like this not because Chulyong is constantly latching onto Seungho, that he feels like this not because Seungho seems to have developed an obvious fondness for the kid; but when he tries to think of alternative reasons to what he’s feeling, he always comes up blank.

 

 

When Changsun blurts out “I like you, I really, really like you,” he surprises even himself.

He’s a little thankful that it’s their last night at camp, and he doesn’t have to deal with any unnecessary awkwardness, but at the same time he feels ten tons lighter than before.

“I really... yeah.” He bites his tongue, scared to say anything more.

Seungho’s brow furrow as he stares at Changsun wordlessly. In the end he stands up, pats Changsun’s shoulders, and softly says,

“It’s late, let’s sleep.”

Seungho gives him a soft kiss on his forehead, but that just confuses Changsun to the point that he almost cries himself to sleep.  _Almost_ , but he does a good job stopping himself.

 

 

 

(9.5)

_Lee Changsun is now Yang Seungho's friend on Facebook._

**Lee Changsun ► Yang Seungho:**  Hi hyung, I just figured out how to make an account here, I hope life is treating you well. Will we be seeing each other next summer?

 

 

 

(10)

17 year-old Changsun becomes a cabin leader during his last year at camp.

The past year has been spent useless notes on Seungho’s Facebook wall, trying to seem casual and nonchalant, even though in the pit of his stomach he knows he really just wants any attention from Seungho.

He almost turns around when he first sees Seungho; his heart is beating so fast he’s almost scared it will give him a stroke.

“Changsun-ah!” Seungho calls out to him before he can, with an actual smile on his face.

“Hyung!” Changsun beams at him despite the cornucopia of confusing feelings he is simultaneously experiencing. “I missed you!”

The words just escapes his mouth, and he can’t help himself. Seungho grins at him, and ruffles his hair, and Changsun has to swallow back the  _does that mean you missed me too?_  he desperately wants to ask.

 

 

A tall, gangly, slightly awkward boy named Sanghyun is assigned to be Changsun’s junior counselor. He’s sweet, a little too quiet at times, but he knows just when to give Changsun an encouraging smile, and for this Changsun is very grateful.

“Have you ever liked someone so, so much?” he asks Sanghyun one time. Changsun is just about aware how much his voice is dripping with love sickness.

It earns him a puzzled look and a shrug from the younger boy; Changsun sighs.

“Don’t worry hyung,” Sanghyun tells him, patting him on the back encouragingly. “Chin up, it’ll get better.”

 

 

It doesn’t.

Well, not until Seungho corners him one afternoon, around an hour before dinner, and leads him to a secluded area behind the cabins.

“Let’s talk.” Seungho’s face is serious, almost scary, and a part of Changsun instinctively wants to run away.

“Sure, let’s!” So of course what Changsun does is gather all his energy so he can produce the biggest, brightest smile his face can accommodate.

Seungho pinches the bridge of his nose; Changsun watches him expectantly, the smile on his face slowly faltering each second that Seungho stays silent.

Seungho sighs. “I guess I’m not really good at this talking thing,” he grumbles.

Changsun nods, but he isn’t really sure what he’s agreeing with. He waits a little more, trying his hardest to remain passive and quiet, even though he can feel a collection of word vomit bubbling up his throat.

“Hyung, can I...” He trails off, turning his face towards the other boy.

When their eyes meet, it’s the last string for Changsun—he kisses Seungho.

Changsun has only done this twice before: once when he was 12, with an older girl who cornered him behind the school gym and stole his first kiss; and once just a few months ago, briefly, after P.E., in the locker room, with a boy from his class, who has the nicest eyes Changsun has ever seen.

Neither of those times even comes close to kissing Seungho, Changsun realises. But, he thinks, maybe that’s just how it is when you finally get the kiss you’ve been wanting for almost half of your life, whether or not you consciously knew it.

“Sorry,” he murmurs after he pulls away. He looks at Seungho’s eyes, trying to read his reaction. “Um. I.  _Well_.” He takes a deep breath. “Just figured I’d do that before we never see each other again after this summer.”

Changsun is pretty sure his cheeks are flushed, and he finally looks away in embarrassment. Seungho snorts. And then he lightly pushes Changsun's forehead with three of his fingers.

“I guess not talking can get the point across sometimes.” Seungho smirks. “Maybe it even gets the point across more clearly.”

Changsun blinks at him, confused. And then Seungho leans in and  _oh_.  _Oh_ , it really does illustrate the point a whole lot better than any string of coherent words can.

 

 

 

(11)

**Yang Seungho ► Lee Changsun:**  Of course you can visit and stay for the summer. I wouldn't say you can if my parents think you'd be imposing. You can stay in my room.

**Yang Seungho ► Lee Changsun:**  And yes, I miss you too. So can you please stop posting mopey status messages from now on?

**Lee Changsun ► Yang Seungho:**  :)

 

 

 

//


End file.
